4 Mistakes To Avoid When Wearing Protective Styles

Protective styles. We love them. We love our braids, wigs ,weaves…They make life so easy. They give us a break from styling our natural/relaxed hair and they protect it from the elements, helping our hair grow and prosper. But there are cardinal sins when it comes to protective styles. These are things you should avoid when weaved or braided up:

1. Leaving It In Too Long

Too much of something is poisonous. Leaving your protective style in for 3 months is stretching it. Leaving it in for 6 months? Now that’s just pushing it my friend. By wearing styles for insane lengths of time,you’re creating a breeding ground for mould, lice and other icky stuff.Three things will happen when you’re taking down your hair: 1. You will see matted and loced hair 2.You will have to cut the matted and loced hair 3.You will cry because you have had to cut your matted and loced hair. Adhere to a maximum of 8 weeks and proper care. Or else you’ll enter the salon with your hair and leave without it.

2. Not Caring For Actual Hair

This is by far the most common protective hair mistake. Many people wear protective styles and fail to do anything to their hair beneath for the whole duration of the style. Your hair beneath hair extensions needs tender love and care. The tender love and care involves moisturizing it and using oil on your scalp to keep it conditioned.Granted that your hair may be a bit hard to reach but you can reach parts of it using an applicator bottle. Put your favourite leave-in and water in an applicator and apply it to your hair. You’ll see the benefits when you take out the protective style because your hair will not be dry. More length retention, yay!

3. On Too Tight

If your braids or weave has your face pulled up like you had a face lift, then they’re probably too tight. I’m afraid there’s no better way to tell you this…But you will have to take them out.Take them out.Immediately. If your style is on too tight, you risk getting blisters on your scalp in the short term. In the long term, you risk traction alopecia: Gradual hair loss, a condition caused by force applied on the scalp. Especially ponytails, braids and other hairstyles. So loosen up! Quite literally.

4. Failing To Rest Between Styles

Rest is important for you right? But it’s also important for your hair. Another cardinal sin is wearing protective hairstyles back to back…to back…to back. Many people perpetually wear protective styles.All 365 days of the year. Probably take out braids today and install a weave the same day. Doing that once in a while is okay. But as a rule of thumb, resting for at least a week in between styles is ideal. Longer is even better. This gives your hair and scalp time to rest from the weight and manipulation. Ultimately helping it grow and not break off.